Author's Note

I do not own The Hunger Games.

Calpurnia Catallus was created by Victoria the Bipolar Tribute!

Submissions are still open for another three days!


Lysandra had gained a new pin, this one bronze with '3rd' stamped on the surface. Calpurnia stopped to scoff. "Third place? Is that the best you can do, Pernivus?"

Lysandra touched her badge and smiled. "And how many high placements do you two have?"

"I don't–"

"Exactly." Lysandra turned and stalked away.

Calpurnia flung her hands in the air. "Can you believe her?"

"Bitch," Marcellina agreed.

The two of them were among the slowly dwindling group of teens that had never played The Game. It seemed like far too much effort, and she'd be expected to run and climb and get dirty.

No thank you.

She didn't need to jump into some pretend death match to prove she was superior.


Over the course of the day, all Lysandra's geek friends gathered around her and fussed over her third place badge. The annoyance simmered hotter inside Calpurnia every time one of them opened their mouths.

"Maybe we could just… ignore her?" Marcellina asked.

"Ignore her? First she dumps us and now she thinks she's better than us? How am I meant to ignore her?"

"Let's go somewhere else. Come on, I think Treasa Summerfield's competing this afternoon."


The swim race was fun to watch, but it didn't calm Calpurnia's annoyance.

"We need to get back at that traitorous bitch," she muttered.

Marcellina looked up at her. "What do you suggest?"